Re. imsai 2 (OT)

From: Richard Erlacher <edick_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Mon Aug 23 14:07:05 1999

What you've said here is EXACTLY the difference between "Antique Collectors"
and various sorts of hobbyists. As was pointed out earlier, the IMSAI Front
Panel, in its mint, therefore non working, condition is MUCH more desirable
and hence valuable to the "collector" than the one, working perfectly with
well-thought-out well-documented modifications to make it compatible with
the environment for which it was purportedly intended.

That means that the antique collector has different reasons for wanting,
hence, obtaining and keeping, artifacts from the past.

For Antique Computer afficionados, that means that those items which serve
best, in this case, to "connect us to the past" by virtue of emulation, or
by simple repair/modification in the interest of "making it work" are of
little interest to the collector. He want the "real McCoy" as it was
minted, not working and "alive" as it should have been.

Dick

-----Original Message-----
From: Sellam Ismail <dastar_at_ncal.verio.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, August 23, 1999 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: Re. imsai 2 (OT)


>On Mon, 23 Aug 1999, Max Eskin wrote:
>
>> In general, what is the meaning of an antique? In many cases, it is
exactly
>> something that is old. However in the case of a computer, I think that an
>> exact copy is perfectly valid. We are trying to preserve computer
history,
>> and computer technology, not old plastic, after all. What should concern
>> people (IMHO) is the particular arrangement of keys on the keyboard, or
>> gates on a CPU, or whatever, i.e. functional characteristics.
>
>Interesting point. From a logical standpoint, an emulator can be just as
>much the original machine as the original itself. However, I think the
>psychological impact of an "antique" is that it has passed through many
>hands before it arrived in yours, and the personal history that each
>individual machine possess is what is desired. It connects us to the
>past. Something peculiarly human.
>
>Also, humans are creatures that desire tangibility. We want to see the
>machine, feel it, look inside it, experience the sights and smells as it
>fires up, marvel at its elegance (or lack thereof), tinker with it in
>three dimensions, point it out to people as a source of pride. You can't
>do that with an emulator.
>
>Sellam Alternate e-mail:
dastar_at_siconic.com
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
>Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out.
>
>             Coming this October 2-3: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0!
>                   See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
>                        [Last web site update: 08/17/99]
>
Received on Mon Aug 23 1999 - 14:07:05 BST

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